Chilly spring brought allergy relief, but change is coming

The gloomy spring weather has actually brought relief to allergy sufferers, but it's relief that may not last much longer.

"Last year was crazy," said Dr. Gary Steven of the Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center.

But this year, there has been some good news, at least so far.

"It has been slow. There have been fewer new patients, obviously, because people come in when they're having trouble, and they're not having trouble," Steven said.

The pollen that causes so much irritation for thousands of people in southeast Wisconsin is so tiny, it can't even be seen with the naked eye.

And it turns out, the invisible irritant likes to soak up moisture in the air, and when that happens, the pollen ends up on the ground and not in your nose.

"The trees pollinate when they're supposed to pollinate, and if at that time, we don't have the dry windy weather to blow the pollen around, we miss it," Steven said.

Steven said that without a doubt the cold and wet spring kept tree pollen levels at bay, but allergy sufferers are far from in the clear because as May approaches May, and temperatures warm, it's going to be the grass pollens turn to bring itchy eyes and scratchy throats.

"The next pollen season is going (to be) the grasses, and that gets started around May 15 and peaks in the first couple weeks of June, and by the end of June, that's pretty much gone," Steven said.

The slow return to spring has the trees barely budding, and many eager to hop on the bike and get outside, but Steven said if you do suffer from allergies, the easiest preventative action you can take is to stay inside, so your allergies don't drive you crazy.

Steven said a common misconception is if you see trees blooming that the pollen levels are high. That's not true. Pollen levels become high when the wind make them airborne.